By Shazia Arshad

Lords call for economic sanctions against Israel

14 December 2012

Shazia Arshad

In a House of Lords debate on the plight of Palestinian citizens of Israel ("Arab Israelis") called by the Lord Bishop of Exeter, peers from across the political spectrum drew attention to what has been described as a "fifth column" of Israeli society. The Bishop initiated the debate, explaining that "Israeli-Arab discrimination needs now to be seen as a justice issue in its own right and very much framed within a discourse of civil rights." Opening the debate, the Bishop referred to a number of examples of continued discrimination against Palestinians and described the changing laws in Israel as a "steady drip" of government regulations which are specifically against the interests of the Palestinian minority of Israel, despite the fact that Palestinians should, theoretically at least, enjoy full equality in Israeli law.

The trip was organised as an emergency visit to focus on the urgency of the plights of Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) Members who are currently faced with deportation. Muhammed Abu Teir, Ahmad Attoun, Muhammed Totah, and Khaled Abu Arafeh, Former PA Minister of Jerusalem Affairs have been served with deportation orders by the Israeli authorities under claims of disloyalty to the state. Although they are elected representatives they have been ordered to leave Jerusalem where they have lived all their lives and where their families continue to reside. Muhammad Abu Teir has already been arrested by the Israeli authorities. The remaining three PLC members have now sought refuge at the Red Cross.